Chapter 16 #2
“Imagine someone comes up behind you. Grabs you.”
He suddenly clamped his arms around her, holding her arms to her sides.
Lana gasped. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, and then the sweaty dampness of his chin against her ear.
Max’s arms tightened against her ribs. It didn’t really hurt, but it was getting to be a challenge to fill her lungs.
She tried to ignore the surge of arousal that sped through her center and went straight to her clit.
“First thing you’ll want to do is shift your shoulder into me. It’ll feel strange. You’re actually going closer to your attacker. But you’ll use that space you’ve created to pull up your arm. Like this.”
He held her wrist and demonstrated the movement a few times in slow motion.
“Then, jam your elbow as hard as you can into my ribs and stomach.”
He clamped his arms down again. Lana wiggled, trying to find the gap he’d mentioned. But Max was holding her so tight she couldn’t move an inch. His heart beat against her back, and his fingers dug into her skin.
“I can’t. This is impossible.”
“Remember, be explosive. Be angry.”
The harshness of his tone made her jump. Lana remembered the car accelerating behind her. Hitting her bumper. Her pulse leaped, her rage growing.
Max’s arms tightened again, a vise around her, in anticipation of her movement. She took a deep breath, then threw her shoulder back toward his chest and pulled her elbow up at the same time, driving the point into his side. He barely budged.
“That’s better,” Max said. “Try again.”
She did. It was surreal, fighting off Max like he wanted to hurt her. A couple of times, when he pinned her arms, she felt his lips brush the top of her ear. It both infuriated her and excited her so much she thought she’d burst with frustration.
After a while, she could feel the force of her elbow driving into his torso. His body was like hardened steel. Her arm was starting to ache. But she did feel slightly more confident. Energy surged through her, like she was ready to run or fight.
Or fuck, a naughty voice whispered in her head.
God, so many mixed-up feelings were going through her right now. Wanting Max to pull her close and wanting to push him away at the same time. Wanting him to bend her over and have his way with her.
Max let her go, moving so that he was in front of her. “Now, what if he’s coming at you head-on? You have to stop his progress. And you want to stop him from taking you down. Because when you’re on the ground, his strength will be harder to overcome.”
He showed her how to brace her forearm against his collarbone to keep him at bay. “Hold me here and grab my sleeve with your other hand. Feel that stability? Even if he’s stronger, he’ll struggle to get any closer to you in this position.”
She placed her arms as he instructed. Lana was staring straight into his dark eyes, their mouths just inches apart. She was finding it difficult to concentrate.
But they kept practicing. He tried to tackle her, take her down, while she held him back with her forearms. She was surprised at her own strength.
Max’s lesson had been going for forty-five minutes at least, and Lana was panting and sticky with sweat.
But this felt good. The fear was still there underneath when she thought of the stalker.
But she could channel it. Make it useful.
“Now, knee me in the crotch.”
“What?”
“I’m attacking you. Knee me in the balls. Make me suffer.”
“Max, I—”
“Do it,” he roared.
Her knee jerked up between his legs, slamming into something solid. He flinched.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m wearing a cup.” His voice was slightly strained.
“Why did you make me do that? You were yelling!”
“I wanted you to practice. I just didn’t think you’d get so…into it.”
“Do you need ice?”
“No. Just to sit. For a sec.”
He sat on the bench, scratching his head sheepishly. And she just couldn’t help it. Lana started to giggle.
“I kneed you in the balls. That happened.”
“It happened.”
“And you told me to do it.”
“I know. I didn’t think that through.”
“Is this a predatory sex thing? You offer self-defense lessons to trick women into sadomasochistic role play?”
“That is not funny.”
“But I’m laughing.”
He stood. Was he walking weird?
“We should probably call it there,” he said. “Do you feel like you’ve made progress?”
“I do.”
“Ready to head up?”
“Um, yeah. Sure.”
Upstairs, they showered and stayed in their separate rooms through the afternoon, emerging only to grab sandwiches for lunch. Lana looked at model jury instructions and reviewed her lists of questions for the upcoming witnesses.
For dinner, they had leftover lasagna, still joking about his unusual methods for teaching self-defense.
He didn’t make any further romantic overtures to her, nor did he talk about the past, the way he had last night.
But he didn’t make any secret of his desire, either.
His eyes did all the talking for him, his yearning plain in those dark brown irises.
Her mind kept going back to the feeling of his arms cinched around her. His lips brushing her ear while she pretended to fight him off, though she’d really wanted to invite him closer.
By the end of the evening, Lana felt torn in two—between her fear of getting her heart broken, and her overpowering physical need for him. She hadn’t felt this way since she was a teenager. Such blatant, undeniable lust.
“I should turn in.” She got up from the table.
“Goodnight, Lana.” Those eyes again. Undressing her, devouring her. “You know where I’ll be.”
A clear invitation. One that she shouldn’t accept.
Lana tried to distract herself with work, and then with a book. But it was no use. She tossed and turned in bed, her body like a live wire. Her panties were soaking. It was past midnight, and she was lying awake, more turned on than she’d ever been in her life.
If I don’t come, I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind.
She could try touching herself. But the man she wanted more than any other was in the room right next door.
Waiting for her.